SUN + LIGHT is a collection of works by contemporary South Carolina artist Charles Williams from his series Everyone Loves the Sunshine. The paintings in this exhibition juxtapose Williams’ own personal encounters, past and present, with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. Williams attempts to strike a balance between both the peaceful and violent protests of the movement and of varied expressions of power. He recounts stories told to him by his grandmother about this specific period in U.S. history and the belief she passed down that would guide his work: “Stay in the light, stay positive.”

Charles Williams is a contemporary visual artist from Georgetown, South Carolina. He holds a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA and an MFA at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Williams was a 2016 Visiting Artist at the Gibbes where he completed several paintings included in this exhibition.

SUN + LIGHT is organized by the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida.